Front:
SECAUCUS
23
1987
070
22
22
lon Sloan
NJ
Back:
THE FLAG OVER THE CAPITOL
First Day of Issue: May 23, 1987
First Issue Location: Secaucus, New York
In keeping with America's spirit of growth so proudly
symbolized by the American Flag, the U.S. Postal Service
chose the Flag Over the Capitol stamp for a special test
in 1987. The Postal Service wanted to test the use of
pre-phosphored paper. The test stamps — designated by
a "T" at the bottom of each stamp were issued in
special coil configurations. Once, all U.S. stamps were
"tagged” to emit a signal when exposed to ultraviolet
light. Thus, automated cancellation machines readily
located and cancelled the stamp. But, that type of "tag"
was suspended in a varnish which was applied over a
stamp's printed surface. The varnish acted as a barrier
preventing the cancellation ink from penetrating into the
stamp. This allowed the illegal re-use of postage stamps
and resulted in significant revenue losses. The pre-treated
paper did not require the varnish. Therefore, it allowed
the cancellation's ink to penetrate the stamp, making it
unusable. The Postal Service also believed that pre-
treated paper would improve quality and reduce costs.
No. 87-22A
©1987 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Ron Sloan.
